Webinars for January 2019

PENDING - may be delayed due to system migration/cut over

What is non-rev?

Non-rev is the term given to airline staff and eligibles (spouse, parents, children, etc) who are flying on a reduced rate basis, also called "non-revenue" in the business. Non-rev is mostly space available travel, with seats offered about 30 minutes before departure if any remain available to other non-revs.

What is an eligible?

An eligible is a person defined by the IRS tax code who can utilize benefits offered to you as an employee of Southern Airways Express. In the case of non-rev travel, an eligible is your spouse, domestic partner, children up to age 19, children aged 19 to 24 enrolled full time in college, and your parents. We also offer a Travel Companion program, which is not considered covered as an IRS benefit and will be taxed against your income. We go into further detail in the Leisure Travel Handbook.

To make it simpler, we essentially have 1 slot for spouse/domestic partner/travel companion-registered guest, 2 slots for parents, and unlimited for children. So you can't have a travel companion if you list your spouse, for example. And yes, if your parents are divorced and remarried, you can only select 2 for interline travel.

How do I non-rev?

Southern Airways Express uses myIDTravel, a product of Lufthansa Industries, to fulfill travel requests of Southern team members who wish to fly on other airlines. In order to use the system, you must have submitted a completed Employee Travel Form (click on FORMS) and also reviewed the Leisure Travel Handbook and/or the myIDtravel manual. It is important that you know the basics of standby travel prior to listing for a flight. Pass Bureau does not have the ability to change or cancel flights on your behalf. The tool is 100% self service.

What is myIDtravel?

myIDTravel is a self-service, online booking tool developed by Lufthansa Industries (formerly Lufthansa Systems). As of August 2018, 185 airlines around the world have their flights displayed in myIDTravel for others to book. myIDTravel is available on all desktop browsers and has a mobile site compatible with Apple, Android, and Windows mobile products. *note: not all features are available on the mobile site.

When can I apply for non-rev travel?

Southern team members can submit their completed Employee Travel Profile to HR / Pass Bureau anytime. Make sure that you also include all the required paperwork, or it could delay getting your profile approved. You will also need to be issued a Southern ID badge, ID number, and date of hire. Southern team members can apply at any time - even if you have been employed by the company for many years and never submitted a form.

Why do you need all this documentation?

IATA requires that we only offer flight privileges to staff and qualified eligibles. In order to determine if someone is qualified, we must see/view the proof. Failure to provide this documentation and backup may delay your myIDTravel profile. We do not share any of this information with your boss or staff. Children over 19 must be enrolled full time in college in order to receive flight privileges, and we must see transcripts and/or a schedule once a year.

What if I don't have all the required documentation?

If you do not have copies of birth records/birth certificates/baptism/marriage/adoption, you can leave those fields blank and add respective eligibles in the future. You can only change, however, once a year. We can also list your eligibles without documentation, but they will not be able to fly on Southern or interline flights until we have received & verified the documentation.

How soon can I travel?

Most of our interline travel agreements allow for unlimited, space available travel for Southern team members and their eligibles once they have completed 180 days of employment; a few of our friendly regional partners have allowed travel benefits as early as 90 days - namely Cape Air, PenAir, and Mokulele. However, you must have completed a one hour Travel Training session prior to receiving your myIDTravel credentials.

What is our Travel Training and how often is it?

We will be conducting monthly webinars and occasionally live sessions. The schedule will be announced by HR and also on http://www.iflysouthern.com/passbureau. It is your responsibility to make sure you attend the entire travel training; which will review the ins & outs of non-revenue travel; review our agreements; and then a demonstration of how to use myIDTravel (research flights, book, change, cancel/refund). These training sessions are meant only for Southern team members. Most of the information is available under "Manuals" section of this website and you may share those with your eligibles.

Do my eligibles have to fly with me?

No. Your spouse, children, and parents are free to travel at any time on qualifying airlines. Please note, not all airlines have extended pass travel to parents - please check the ID section of myIDTravel. Travel Companions (registered guests) may have to fly with the employee - only a handful airlines do not presently require the employee to fly with the travel companion.

Who trains our eligibles on how to travel?

As the employee of Southern Airways Express, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure you have reviewed the policies & procedures with your eligibles before they fly. They are your responsibility while flying and linked to your employee ID number - so if anything happens, it could result in disciplinary action. You may share all the manuals and powerpoint PDF with your eligibles.

What is our dress code?

All Southern Airways Express travelers are expected to dress in business casual when flying on non-revenue travel passes. We've provided a photo guide in Dress to Impress to help you see what is and isn't acceptable. Think about what you'd wear to church, after hours dinner with work colleagues, or out with your grandparents. Shorts & flip flops are NEVER acceptable.

What is the dress code when flying other airlines?

While each airline has variations of "business casual", we expect you to use the Southern Dress to Impress policy when flying on all airlines as the MINIMUM. Some airlines do allow a more casual & relaxed attire; while some airlines are very strict. Please view www.flyzed.info for information on each airline partners' dress code and other travel policies.

What happens if I am not in dress code?

Failure to dress in business casual when flying on Southern may result in ground personnel or flight crews asking you to change your clothes. If you do not have proper attire, you will not be allowed to board.

What is our baggage allowance when flying?

Southern team members & eligibles may check up to one piece of luggage, free of charge, up to 50 #s and 1 free carry-on (or gate check). As a ZED/IATA partner, we are required to honor this baggage allowance to all staff, even when flying on other airlines. So when you fly on Allegiant or Spirit, which charges for bags, when flying on a ZED pass, you will not be charged for your first carry-on or checked bag. Some airlines allow up to 2 pieces of luggage, free of charge. Please check their policies under "ID Agreements" in myIDtravel or on www.flyzed.info.

What if I don't get on my flight?

Should the airline not be able to accommodate all space-available guests, please ask the gate agent for your best options to travel. Sometimes they will roll you over to the next flight or provide assistance in getting CLOSE to where you want to travel.

If you opt to not travel on that airline/routing, you will need to go into myIDTravel and cancel/refund your listing. Refunds can take 3 to 14 days to process. You can relist for a new flight on the app, typically up to 30 minutes prior to departure. If you are changing the routing of your expected travel, you will be required to purchase new passes reflecting the new flights (example: Ft Lauderdale to NY JFK is full, but there are seats open thru Boston, you will need to cancel/refund the original listing for the NONSTOP flight to JFK, and go buy a new listing for FLL - BOS - JFK).

Do I need my Southern Airways Express ID to fly?

The ZED agreements no longer require airline staff to produce an airline id at check-in; however some airlines may require this. Southwest Airlines is the only one of our agreements whereby the travel should have their Southern ID with them when they fly.

Can I still use myIDTravel after I leave Southern?

Per our ZED/IATA agreements, once your employment with Southern has terminated (except for certain leaves of absence and retirement), we will shut down your access to myIDTravel. We are also required to cancel all listings in the future should you have any. This includes any present-day travel by yourself or your eligibles - so there is a risk that you may find your listings cancelled.

Do all Southern team members get access to myIDTravel?

No. All full & part time team members will receive access to myIDTravel. Certain dedicated staff may be eligible for myIDTravel, depending on your work agreement.

Am I allowed to use myIDtravel to commute to work?

myIDTravel is meant to allow for staff to use it for booking LEISURE travel. The only exception to this rule is for commuting pilots, as some airlines are requiring jumpseat listings be completed thru the myIDTravel portal. You should not be using myIDTravel to commute to Pittsburgh from Atlanta, on Delta, for example, if you work in Pittsburgh. Nor should your eligibles use myIDTravel to commute to and from work. Some airlines, however, have allowed staff to use myIDTravel for work purposes; please only do so when instructed by Pass Bureau.

What is the difference between jumpseating (commuting) and leisure (R2) in myID?

Pilots & certified dispatchers, when the agreements are loaded, have the option to select "Pilot Commuting" from the selection criteria in myIDTravel to list for the jumpseat with specific airlines. Jumpseating has a completely different set of rules for pilots/dispatchers and can NOT be mixed with leisure travel. Jumpseating is typically free of charge; while there is a fee for ZED tickets when booked as "R2 Standby". Jumpseaters MUST be in full uniform or dress pants/slacks with a collared shirt.

Who dictates the rules of non-revenue travel?

Since Southern Airways Express has joined ZED-MIBA, an arm of IATA, we follow the regulations and rules of the industry when it comes to non-revenue travel. We will also do our best to maintain "best practices" in the industry. It is our goal to have the best tools for our staff, so that when you move to another airline the policies & procedures should remain mostly consistent.

What is ZED-MIBA?

ZED-MIBA is the largest industry group that regulates non-revenue travel for airline staff. It is an arm of IATA - International Air Transport Association. ZED means Zonal Employee Discount; it was formed in the mid 1990s as a way to make employee travel easier by allowing the transfer of paper tickets from one airline to the other. However, technology has since taken over many of the ticketing tasks & roles, ZED has grown into the leading organization with over 200 members. Southern Airways Express is the newest member of ZED-MIBA.

What is the cost to travel?

Each airline may have different fare levels, but as a ZED member - we've agreed to one of three - Zed LOW, Zed MEDIUM, and Zed HIGH. The fare for each eligible type can be found under "ID Agreements" of myIDtravel. Note: some airlines have fare limitations and offer service charge fares, such as Frontier & Spirit. The Zed fare calculation is based on distance traveled, and a worksheet can be found in the Leisure Travel Handbook.

What taxes & fees must I pay to use myIDTravel?

All non-revenue travel is subject to certain taxes and those are added during the booking process. myIDTravel charges a small fee, per segment, per passenger, for the system. This fee is refunded if you cancel/change/refund your ticket inside myIDTravel.

Are ZED tickets refundable and changeable?

Yes, per our ZED/IATA agreement, all listings are fully changeable and refundable. Refunds should be completed as soon as you know you can not take the flight. This includes "no-show" - your ticket and/or pass is typically valid for either 90 or 365 days - please see the ID Agreements section of myIDTravel.

You can not use a ZED ticket for JetBlue for yourself, which was ticketed for Ft. Lauderdale to NY LaGuardia, and apply it to travel on Spirit, for example. You also can not use a listing/ticket in your name and change the name to your parents, spouse, or children.

How far out should we list?

Because ZED travel is standby, we recommend completing your listing 24 to 72 hours prior to departure. Some airlines require at least 48 hours due to international regulations. Most airlines will accept ZED listings up to 1 hour prior to departure, which is helpful if you are stuck in a hub and change your routing.

What happens if I No-Show?

Nothing. Your ticket/listing is valid for at least 90 days, if not 365. Please check the ID Agreements section of myIDTravel or look up the cancel/refund policies for the carrier in question at www.flyzed.info. Failing to appear/check-in/board a flight does not result in a no-show charge on your ticket.